Hungary has restarted one turbine at its Paks nuclear power plant following a rise in the Danube’s water level. Paks, which has four reactors with two turbines each, is now operating with a total of two turbines, while the others remain shut down as a persistent heatwave continues to hamper electricity production across Southeast Europe.
“The third turbine at unit 2 of the Paks nuclear power plant has been put back into operation. Two turbines are now producing electricity again,” Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar said in a Facebook post.
The Danube level at Paks has increased by 19 centimeters from a week ago
He added that the Danube level on Monday morning was 19 centimeters above the low point seen a week earlier.
The restart of the turbine increased Paks’ current power to 339 MW by Monday evening, according to Forbes.hu.
Magyar: It could take more than a month for Paks to be fully operational again
Last Friday, Magyar said that it could take more than a month for the entire Paks nuclear power plant to restart, the portal reported.
The prolonged heatwave has been causing problems for electricity generation across Southeast Europe, pushing prices at regional power markets above EUR 700 per MWh last week. The extreme temperatures and low river levels are forecast to continue in the coming days and weeks.
Romania might limit electricity supply to industrial consumers
On Monday, Romanian authorities said that their attempts to raise water levels in the Danube and keep the Cernavodă nuclear power plant operating had failed to produce lasting results, warning that the country must prepare for a temporary shutdown of the remaining reactor and possible restrictions on electricity supply to large industrial consumers.
